Usually when we are in this area we take a picnic and walk through the vineyards and woods to the top of the hills. It was very dull on Wednesday and so we looked at taking the train from Barr to Colmar, a larger town to the south of Andlau where we were staying. All but one train would leave us waiting on the station platform at Sélestat for an hour, and as we had an appointment for a wine tasting at 5pm, this would give us little time in Colmar. A wander around Andlau and lunch was therefore on the cards. We found ourselves at the large church in the centre of Andlau which we had not visited before and amazingly it was open.
Andlau abbey was founded by St Richardis (the local saint) in the late 9th century. Part of the current building was consecrated in the 11th century and there have been several rebuildings since.
One of many interesting carvings in the west porch dating from the 12th Century.
The crypt, which is 11th century, is full of very old statues; this pieta is 13th century.
Our next stop was the local museum. The building was once the large house of a seigneur in the centre of the village. Over the years that we have visited Andlau, we have seen it being restored. The house is traditionally built and displays show how the traditional Alsacian house has evolved over the years, the building skills and the stone mason's signs carved on stones which make the house. 
The basic structure of an Alsacian house is a solid base and a wooden structure above. There were 'kits' that you can try to put together, demonstrating just how intricate the design is.
After lunch in front of a fire in a restaurant in front of the museum and a rest in our hotel, we set out for a wine tasting with a vigneron we have bought from for almost 25 years. An order will be going in when we get back home and the wine will be shipped to us. Here are some views of the tasting room.
Then we returned to the hotel for dinner and packed ready to move on to Strasbourg the next day.
Pat and John on tour
